Nightshifts
by McMargaret
Summary: To fight the growing threat of dark magic, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the Professors of Hogwarts and some selected students start patrolling Hogwarts' hallways at night. A connection between Hermione Granger and Professor McGonagall starts to grow. Rated M for possible later chapters. Please review!


Warning: This story centers around the relationship of Minerva and Hermione, while Hermione is still at Hogwarts.

Later chapters could be explicit.

**Don't like don't read!**

This is the translation of my first fanfiction. I am happy for criticism and look forward to your advice and tips!

**Please review!**

* * *

The clocks at Hogwarts struck ten o'clock and the official curfew began.

However, for the teachers and the prefects, the night just started. To find straying students and potential threats, Albus Dumbledore arranged nightshifts in which teachers and chosen students should patrol the corridors of Hogwarts. You could volunteer as a non-prefect, but the number of those volunteers remained small. Dumbledore was sure, this would change in the course of the semester.

Hermione Granger was also a volunteer. She was a prefect, sure, but she volunteered to do more nights than she was appointed to do. Instead of two nights a week, she wanted to do five nights a week.

The shifts would be from ten pm until two am. The students would get a potion in the morning to fight the fatigue.

It was September first and Hermione and her friends were in the fifth year at Hogwarts. It was also the first night Hermione should patrol.

Since the whole castle was too big for the students, Hermione was allowed to chose her own area. Of course, she chose the area around the Gryffindor-Tower. This decision had three pros.

First, she naturally got along best with her own housemates and they respected the intelligent young witch.

Second, she could easily get from her area to the Gryffindor Tower and go to sleep at nights.

However, the maybe most important fact is, that she got high hopes to spend her nightshifts with none other than Professor McGonagall. She was her favorite teacher and other than that she did not have the desire to spend the nights with Snape. Their dislike was quite mutual.

* * *

Hermione stacked up her books under her arms, a little school work could not harm in the lonely hours, and with that thought, she went her way. Today they would first meet in front of the great hall to get instructed and get used to the circumstances. Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were already waiting as Hermione arrived. They were deeply in a discussion about the new budget and McGonagall was complaining loudly about the ministry. A few teachers stood around them.

Hermione went to wait next to the other students and remained silent. Ernie and Hannah were talking about Hufflepuffs chances to win this year's quidditch cup. Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were whispering something no one else could hear. Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil were talking animatedly with Professor Flitwick. There were also older students that Hermione only knew distantly or not at all.

While she was not wondering why Fred and George didn't get this task, she did wonder were Ron was. He was the second Gryffindor prefect and even if he didn't have the extra shifts Hermione had, he was supposed to be there tonight.

Professor McGonagall had obviously the same thought as she approached Hermione with a questioning look on her face. It was five minutes after ten and she was getting impatient.

"Miss Granger, may I ask you were Mr. Weasley is?"

"I'm sorry Professor, but I don't know where he is. I reminded him of tonight when we were on the train and.. normally..."

"Don't say Mr. Weasley is responsible normally, don't Miss Granger! We both know that's not the truth."  
Hermione smiled shyly. She would definitely not bash her best friend, but she did ask herself why he was selected as prefect and not Harry who would have been the obvious choice.

"... 'xuse my delay. I.. eh ... I had to help Harry with.. with somethi.. with the homework!"  
Ron came panting to a halt just in front of them.

While Hermione lowered her gaze to the ground and bit back an amused smile, the excuse had been enormously bad, Professor McGonagall stared at the ceiling. Her lips had gotten dangerously thin.  
Hermione asked herself if she was suspecting the real reason for Rons delay.

Since Harry almost couldn't come back to Hogwarts, his friends and housemates wanted to host a small party in Gryffindor Tower. This small party needed a few helping hands and as Harry's best mate Ron couldn't excuse himself. Hermione's reasons to not be late to the meeting with the other patrols, however, was understood immediately. They simply knew their 'Mione.  
Hermione's train of thoughts was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore starting to speak to them.

"Dear students and professors, I am happy to announce that we are all here and ready to begin. The professors and some students will take five shifts a week, most students will only take two shifts per week. You all can read the details in the letters you've got. Let us now divide the castle into areas.

Professor Sprout and her Hufflepuffs will be near the Hufflepuff common room. Please do not perform as a group but at highest in a pair of two so we can have the chance to patrol more corridors at a time. That is not just the instruction for Huffelepuuf, that is for all of you.

Professor Snape, you and your Slytherins will patrol in the dungeons and around.

Professor Flitwick, the same goes for you and the Ravenclaws, simply near the Ravenclaw Tower.

The same goes also for Professor McGonagall. Since Gryffindor has more volunteering students than any other house, please divide from your common room to the great hall. I want to give some attention to Miss Granger because she has volunteered to do more shifts and through this got the chance to chose her area around the common room of Gryffindor. Minerva, you do take the bordering area until your classroom. Especially Gryffindor is a target because of Mr. Potter."

"It's always these stupid Gryffindors and their extra treatment because of Potter"

"Mr. Malfoy, I expect appropriate behavior of you. How dare you speak in such a manner!"  
Professor McGonagall stepped angrily towards the Slytherins.

There was a faint snort to be heard from Snape's direction but McGonagall continued: "Just because you are a prefect now it doesn't mean you can use this position of power for bad behavior. It does not save you from point deduction. 20 points from Slytherin for respectless and inappropriate behavior!"

Snape was just about to open his mouth to start a discussion with Minerva about this when Dumbledore continues as if nothing has occurred.

"When the other Professors take the areas around their classrooms, everything is covered but my office and the teachers lounge. I myself will take this part of the castle.  
Should problems occur, here are your special parchments."

He passed some rotten looking and disgusting smelling papers around and with it small quills to go.

With these items you can call help anytime since the person nearest to you an I will get the message you write down onto these parchments. Are there any questions?"  
Professor Snape cleared his throat and put on an ugly grin: "Where is our lovely addition from the Ministry?" He raised his eyebrows dramatically and looked with obviously faked interest to the headmaster. "Well... Professor Umbridge will not be a part of the patrols. I won't indulge in this topic further."

He looked around once more and gave Severus and Minerva as well an especially calming look. Hermione had every reason to believe that this semester would become interesting.

"One last thing. I expect I don't need to tell you that you should be dressed adequately. The clothing will bring you respect. I expect you to wear your house ties and your normal attire also to the nightshifts. You will also get these pins to wear with your uniform. It marks you as an official supervisor. This is even more important for those of you who are not a prefect." Dumbledore shuffled through his cloak pockets and grabbed two handfull of small pins he was now giving out to the students.  
Hermione was looking at the pin intently until she put it onto her uniform just to discover that it showed Hogwarts and was glowing in the dark. When Ron leaned over to muster it from the front (He had pinned his one very hastily and couldn't get it off even with a lot of violent pulling and dragging) Hermione's changed its image from Hogwarts to a red background and golden letters in the forefront saying "Hermione Jean Granger - official supervisor".

"Great Merlin cool, Hermione did you see that?!" Ron was staring with big eyes towards the intelligent little pin. Ron's pin had the same reaction to Hermione just with the difference that it was personalized for Ronald Billius Weasley.

"As I see Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley have already detected one of the traits of the pins. I am sure you will find some more in the course of the long nights. And now let's get to work Ladies and Gentlemen!" Dumbledore turned around at these words and went into the direction of his office.  
The rest stood there a few more moments a little bit dumbfounded but soon the house groups went their different directions and the other teachers went to their classrooms.

* * *

After the Gryffindors went their way, they divided more and more until only Hermione, Ron, and Professor McGonagall had yet to reach their destination. On their way to the portrait of the fat lady, Ron suddenly burst out coughing and holding his stomach as if he suddenly got heavy cramps. As McGonagall shot him a stern glance, he finally said that he wasn't well.

"Well, Mr. Weasley go to the common room and rest. The possibility that something will happen this early in term is very low anyways."

"Thanks, Professor, see you late ... uhm, Until tomorrow Hermione!"  
While Ron was hurrying to get to the common room, Hermione struggled very hard against the urge to laugh.

"Miss Granger, was there something you wanted to say?" Shit, she must have seen Hermione's amused face.

"... no Professor, why are you asking?"

"Don't think you can fool me, Miss Granger, I've known you since you were eleven"

"Why did you let Ron get through with _it_?"

"With _what_?" asked the Professor with faked innocence.

"With this humiliatingly bad excuse now and earlier. You are our Head of House and the Deputy Headmistress, of course you know what's happening around you."

"Miss Granger, it's much less my position here than my human ability to see and hear. If Fred and George had not carried a number of packages containing sweets from the kitchens to the common room, perhaps I wouldn't even have thought about anything happening. However, when Ginerva, Ronald, and Neville were discussing and arguing loudly how to get Harry to the party without him noticing, I couldn't not know it.

"But why won't you do anything against it?"

"The party is for Mr. Potter. I do not favor anyone here, but I know he was having a hard time after Diggory's death. The reasons he could almost not return to Hogwarts with the dementors and everything were hard on him, even if he wouldn't admit it. He needs this party right now."

"Thank you Professor" said Hermione while she tried to ignore the pained expression of the woman next to her. Harry's life seemed to matter more to her than she would have liked.

The pair continued their way until they split up in front of the fat lady. While spending time in the lonely and abandoned corridors, Hermione started studying the transfiguration school book and did notes on the first ten chapters. Afterward,s she started reading her own book choice: a book on Animagi. Transfigurations was her favorite subject, she wouldn't deny that and so she started with great joy to learn something outside of the curricular.

* * *

Around 11 pm there was a person coming down the hallway and into Hermione's direction. At first, she thought it was a house-elf but after she looked a little more closely it turned out to be Ellen Peare, one of the new Gryffindor first years. After Hermione walked calmly into her direction and asked her if she had a problem, Ellen started crying very noisily. That was attracting attention and so Professor McGonagall, one corner away, made her way over to the pair but stayed in the shadows of the wall not discovered by the two students. Her help was obviously not needed and so she watched the conversation in front of her very interested. Hermione embraced Ellen until she calmed down a little bit. As she finally stopped crying, Hermione started to speak.

"You are Ellen, right?"  
The girl nodded shyly.

"Ellen, why are you crying?"

"I am so terribly homesick. I don't... I don't belong here" sobbed the girl.

"Why shouldn't you belong here?"

"Well... my parents are not a witch and a wizard, they aren't magical and everything here is so new. I just want to go home!"

"You listen to me now. I am also muggle-born and at the beginning, I had the same trouble that you are having now and probably worse because I had no friends. I promise you, everything here will be great. When you will have your first lessons tomorrow, you will see just how great! Professor McGonagall is going to give you your timetable tomorrow and you will master this world very soon." Hermione couldn't overlook Ellen's reaction to the mention of the name McGonagall. She looked questioningly at the girl.

"Professor McGonagall seems to be very strict ... - and pretty awful" the girl admitted silently. Minerva had a hard time to keep quiet at the wall and so she pulled every string together and waited silently for Hermione's response.

"Don't say that ever again. Professor McGonagall helped me a great deal at the beginning here. She did everything so I could connect with my classmates and get along with this new world. We still meet monthly for tea. She is an amazing and fascinating human being and until today, if I have a problem I go to talk to her about it. She is your Head of House as well and you will see, she will do the same for you. Just wait, she is great" as Hermione saw Ellens calm and now dry face she gave her a few last calming words on her way and send her to bed.

After the small girl climbed through the portrait hole, Hermione got up, gathered her books and turned around to resume her patrol.

With a loud cry, she jumped backward when she saw another person, tall this time, walk towards her.  
"Great God, Professor, you scared me!"

Professor McGonagall just watched Hermione silently and that was when Hermione got it. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough..." she said short cut.

"Listen, Professor, Ellen didn't mean it that way.." Hermione started but before she could continue, Professor McGonagall raised her hand and stopped her. "That's not what I meant. I do know how I come across" she answered and smiled.

"Hermione you did a great job. Miss Peare will surely get used to all this and if not, she will come to you or me, I have no doubt. You have a good way with children."

Startled by the sudden turn of the conversation, Hermione also started smiling. "Thank you, Professor, a compliment from you is always something special!"

Professor McGonagall looked kindly at Hermione and softly grabbed her shoulder: "Miss Granger, you better get going or you will miss the party of your best friend and you don't want to miss it, do you?"

When she saw Hermione's aksing face she added: "it's only a little more over two hours you would have to patrol and I assure you I can manage that alone"

"Thank you Professor!" was the over the moon happy reply and Hermione hurried as fast as she could towards the portrait of the fat lady. As much as she liked spending time with her Professor, this was Harry's night.

Minerva stood there long after that conversation and thought about the small girl she visited and whom she explained to that she would from now on visit a wizarding school. She would never forget these big brown eyes, but Hermione had changed. She has become much more mature and learned so much. Minerva was happy to spend time with the girl because even though there were decades between them, Hermione had a way of challenging her intellectual. Long after the young woman was gone, Minerva realized that she still stood there rooted to the spot so she turned around and resumed her patrol.

To be continued.  
**I would be very grateful for a review!**


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